NYPD is on road to fight auto theft rise

Unhappy with a falling number of arrests and a slight increase in stolen autos, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has ordered a renewed focus on the crime, sources said.

Advertisement

Chief of Department James Hall met Tuesday at Police Headquarters with supervisors of auto crime units to try to figure out new ways to crack down, sources said.

"The numbers aren't what the commissioner wants them to be," said a police supervisor with knowledge of the meeting. "Hall now has to do something about it."

Inspector Edward Mullen, an NYPD spokesman, said the meeting was designed "to build on the 14% decrease in auto theft over the last two years."

Police sources said there is concern about a 27% drop in grand larceny auto arrests this year.

The number of stolen cars is up a tiny .6% - 2,869 thefts this year, compared with 2,852 in the corresponding period last year.

Cops plan to squeeze informants and prisoners for tips and inspect body shops around the city. "People would be shocked at the body shops that look legitimate but are really chop shops," the supervisor said.

Sources said fewer than 10% of stolen auto cases end in an arrest because thieves tend to belong to organized rings that strip cars into parts almost before owners notice they've been swiped.